Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2008-04-21

Samford University Orchestra, University Chorale and A Cappella Choir will combine talents for a special night of music Tuesday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Samford's Brock Recital Hall.

The orchestra will present Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 (Reformation). Leslie Fillmer will conduct.

The combined choral groups, accompanied by the orchestra, will follow with William Walton's oratorio, Belshazzar's Feast. Dr. Timothy Banks will conduct the choirs and baritone soloist Dr. Joseph Hopkins.

In Belshazzar's Feast, which is based on the Biblical story from the book of Daniel, the Jews are in exile in Babylon. After a feast in which Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, commits sacrilege by using the Jews' sacred vessels to praise the heathen gods, he is miraculously killed, the kingdom falls and the Jews regain their freedom.

The concert is free and open to the public. The event will feature an announcement of the School of the Arts as the new name for the academic unit that includes the Samford division of music. A reception will follow the performance.

For concert information, call (205) 726-2851.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.